US Military Intervention, Congressional Power Erosion, and Economic Disparity

Up First from NPR · December 26, 2025 · Listen to Original Episode →

Original Title:

TL;DR

U.S. military strikes against ISIS militants in Nigeria, framed by President Trump as Christian defense, represent a significant intervention and inflection point, despite Nigerian government claims of joint operation and expert doubts about targeting effectiveness.
Congress's 2025 legislative year saw a record low number of bills passed, with significant power ceded to the President, including control over federal spending during a government shutdown, undermining its constitutional role.
Holiday spending exceeded expectations, driven by a widening economic split where wealthier consumers purchase premium goods, while others shift to discount retailers or exit the new vehicle market entirely due to affordability issues.
The Nigerian government faces challenges reframing U.S. military actions as a coordinated operation, as President Trump's public announcement preempted official statements, raising concerns about Nigeria's ability to shape U.S. military aims.
Congressional Republicans' ambitious 2025 agenda faltered, with Speaker Mike Johnson losing conference control and facing bipartisan efforts to bypass leadership, alongside a record number of retirements, impacting their majority prospects.
The economic paradox of record holiday spending amidst consumer pessimism highlights a growing disparity, where wage growth fuels purchases, but the job market's stability is crucial for sustained economic activity in the new year.

Deep Dive

The U.S. military's Christmas Day strikes against ISIS militants in Nigeria represent a significant, albeit complex, escalation of U.S. involvement, driven by President Trump's assertion of protecting Christians, while Nigerian authorities dispute the narrative of targeted Christian persecution. Concurrently, the U.S. Congress has experienced a substantial erosion of its legislative power in the past year, largely ceding authority to President Trump and passing a record low number of bills, a trend that will likely intensify pressure as the midterm elections approach. Despite widespread public pessimism about the economy, U.S. holiday spending shattered records, a phenomenon primarily fueled by affluent consumers, indicating a growing economic divide and a shift in spending patterns for lower and middle-income households.

The U.S. strikes in Nigeria, framed by President Trump as a direct response to the targeting of Christians, were characterized differently by U.S. Africa Command, which initially stated they were requested by the Nigerian government, later amending to "in coordination with them." This intervention marks a critical juncture in U.S. military engagement in the region, particularly given the timing on Christmas Day. The targeted group, ISIS Sahel Province, locally known as a faction of Boko Haram, is active in northwestern Nigeria, a region experiencing a worsening security crisis due to multiple militant groups, including bandits who terrorize both Muslim and Christian communities. Experts question the efficacy of airstrikes in eliminating deeply entrenched rural militant groups and whether this operation truly targets Christian persecution or aims to degrade ISIS capabilities. The Nigerian government's effort to frame the operation as a joint effort faces challenges from President Trump's public pronouncements, raising concerns about Nigeria's ability to control the scope and aims of future U.S. military actions.

In Congress, the year's legislative output has been notably low, with Republicans, despite holding majorities, ceding significant power to the President. This included directing spending during government shutdowns and reclaiming funds previously approved by Congress. Speaker Mike Johnson faced internal dissent, evidenced by successful bipartisan discharge petitions that bypassed his leadership, such as the one leading to the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The narrow Republican majorities in both the House and Senate have contributed to this dynamic, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pointing to these challenges, alongside economic policies and foreign interventions, as creating an opening for Democrats heading into the midterms. The looming threat of further government shutdowns and the rising cost of health insurance premiums, following the failure to extend Obamacare subsidies, are expected to dominate the political landscape and amplify concerns about Congress's effectiveness in addressing pressing issues for American families.

The record holiday spending, despite negative economic sentiment, highlights a bifurcated economy. While overall spending increased, this growth was driven by higher-income households, with luxury brands and premium vehicles seeing strong demand. Conversely, lower and middle-income consumers are increasingly shifting to discount retailers or exiting the new vehicle market altogether due to affordability issues. This trend suggests that while the job market may continue to support spending through wage growth, the economic benefits are unevenly distributed. The implication for the new year is a continued focus on the job market and the affordability crisis, which will likely be central themes in political discourse and consumer behavior.

Action Items

Audit US military intervention: Analyze justification for strikes in Nigeria against stated goals and local government claims (ref: IS Sahel Province, bandit groups).
Track legislative output variance: Measure number of bills passed by Congress in 2025 against historical averages and stated 2025 agenda.
Measure consumer spending disparity: Calculate correlation between holiday spending records and consumer sentiment for 3-5 income brackets.
Evaluate economic impact of tariffs: Analyze effects of US tariffs on holiday spending and consumer purchasing power.

Key Quotes

"President Trump has announced the U.S. launched a number of strikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria. Congress started 2025 with an ambitious legislative agenda, but 12 months later has ceded much of its power to President Trump and has passed a record low number of bills. And, shoppers spent a record amount of money this holiday season even as polling finds Americans are feeling glum about the economy."

This description from the podcast episode summary highlights three key narratives covered: U.S. military action in Nigeria, Congress's diminished legislative output, and a paradox in consumer spending. The author presents these as the central topics of the broadcast, indicating a focus on foreign policy, domestic governance, and economic sentiment.

"On Christmas day, the president announced the US military struck ISIS militants in Nigeria. The attacks come a month after President Trump threatened on social media to go in to Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, 'guns blazing' unless it did more to protect Christians who he continually asserts are being targeted and slaughtered."

Emmanuel Ekwatu explains that President Trump announced U.S. military strikes against ISIS militants in Nigeria on Christmas Day. Ekwatu notes that this action followed President Trump's prior social media threats to intervene militarily if Nigeria did not increase its protection of Christians, whom Trump claims are being systematically killed.

"In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said he ordered 'a deadly strike against ISIS terrorists come in northwest Nigeria who have been targeting and viciously killing primarily innocent Christians and he said that this was just the beginning."

Emmanuel Ekwatu reports that President Trump stated on Truth Social that he ordered a "deadly strike" against ISIS terrorists in northwest Nigeria. Ekwatu conveys that Trump characterized these terrorists as targeting and killing primarily innocent Christians and indicated that this action was only the beginning of further operations.

"When Speaker Mike Johnson convened Congress in January, he made a bold declaration: 'Working together we had the potential to be one of the most consequential congresses in the history of this great nation.' Twelve months later, has Congress lived up to that potential?"

Claudia Grisales introduces Speaker Mike Johnson's early-year declaration about Congress's potential for significant legislative impact. Grisales then poses a question that frames the subsequent discussion, asking whether Congress fulfilled this ambitious promise over the subsequent twelve months.

"Republicans are the majority in both the house and senate, but that is very narrow. How did leaders fare in 2025? Yeah, it definitely made it more difficult for them. In the House, we saw Speaker Mike Johnson lose more control of his conference by year end. He faced a rare series of successful discharge petitions. These are bipartisan efforts by rank-and-file members to bypass the speaker and pass law."

Claudia Grisales discusses the challenges faced by Republican leadership in Congress due to their narrow majorities. Grisales highlights that Speaker Mike Johnson experienced a decline in control over his conference, evidenced by successful bipartisan discharge petitions that allowed rank-and-file members to advance legislation independently of the Speaker.

"We saw Black Friday set a record and then Cyber Monday set a spending record. Adobe Analytics, which tracks online shopping, saw people spending over 10 million every minute on the evening of Cyber Monday. Mastercard, which tracks spending online and in stores, estimates that spending grew nearly 4% in November and December."

Elena Selluk presents data indicating a record-breaking holiday shopping season, with both Black Friday and Cyber Monday achieving new spending highs. Selluk cites Adobe Analytics and Mastercard, noting that online spending reached over $10 million per minute on Cyber Monday evening and that overall spending in November and December grew by nearly 4%.

Resources

External Resources

Books

"The Year In Congress" by [Author Not Specified] - Mentioned as a legislative plan that congress started with.

Articles & Papers

"U.S. Strikes ISIS In Nigeria" (Up First from NPR) - Discussed as a military operation targeting militants.
"The Year In Congress" (Up First from NPR) - Discussed as a legislative period where congress ceded power to the president.
"Holiday Spending" (Up First from NPR) - Referenced for record spending despite consumer pessimism.

People

President Trump - Mentioned for ordering strikes against ISIS militants in Nigeria and for his rhetoric on protecting Christians.
Mike Johnson - Mentioned as the House Speaker who convened Congress with an ambitious legislative agenda.
Emmanuel Ekwatu - Mentioned as an NPR Africa correspondent reporting from Nigeria on the US strikes.
Claudia Grisales - Mentioned as an NPR congressional correspondent discussing Congress's legislative output and challenges.
John Thune - Mentioned as the Senate Majority Leader discussing lessons learned in his role.
Chuck Schumer - Mentioned as the Senate Minority Leader commenting on challenges and chaos in federal government and economy.
Elena Selluk - Mentioned as an NPR retail correspondent discussing holiday spending trends.
Alfred My - Mentioned as the seller of ASM Games, discussing his company's sales exceeding expectations.
Erin Keating - Mentioned as an executive analyst at Cox Automotive who commented on auto sales data.
Leila Fadel - Mentioned as the host of Up First from NPR.
Gerry Holmes - Mentioned as an editor for the Up First episode.
Jason Breslow - Mentioned as an editor for the Up First episode.
Emily Kopp - Mentioned as an editor for the Up First episode.
Lisa Thomson - Mentioned as an editor for the Up First episode.
Alice Woelfle - Mentioned as an editor for the Up First episode.
Ziad Buchh - Mentioned as a producer for the Up First episode.
Nia Dumas - Mentioned as a producer for the Up First episode.
Christopher Thomas - Mentioned as a producer for the Up First episode.
David Greenberg - Mentioned for engineering support on the Up First episode.
Carleigh Strange - Mentioned as the technical director for the Up First episode.
Jay Shaylor - Mentioned as the executive producer for the Up First episode.

Organizations & Institutions

ISIS (Islamic State) - Mentioned as militants targeted by US strikes in Nigeria.
U.S. Africa Command - Mentioned for their statement regarding the strikes in Nigeria.
Congress - Discussed for its legislative agenda and output in 2025.
House of Representatives - Mentioned in the context of Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican majority.
Senate - Mentioned in the context of Majority Leader John Thune and Republican pushback.
NPR - Mentioned as the source of the podcast "Up First" and its correspondents.
ADT - Mentioned as a sponsor providing home security systems.
Charles Schwab - Mentioned as a sponsor offering wealth management and investment services.
Odoo - Mentioned as a sponsor providing business software solutions.
Progressive Insurance - Mentioned as a sponsor offering home and auto insurance.
Boko Haram - Mentioned as a faction known locally as IS Sahel Province, active in northwest Nigeria.
ASM Games - Mentioned as a company selling card games.
Cox Automotive - Mentioned as a data firm providing forecasts on auto sales.
Kelley Blue Book - Mentioned as a part of Cox Automotive.
Walmart - Mentioned as a store where consumers may be switching to due to tighter budgets.
TJ Maxx - Mentioned as a store where consumers may be switching to due to tighter budgets.
Ralph Lauren - Mentioned as a luxury brand that is doing well.
BetterHelp - Mentioned as a sponsor offering online therapy services.
Cook Unity - Mentioned as a sponsor offering meal delivery services.

Websites & Online Resources

Up First newsletter (npr.org/newsletter/news) - Mentioned as a subscription option for more analysis.
podcastchoices.com/adchoices - Mentioned for sponsor message choices.
npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy - Mentioned as the NPR Privacy Policy.
Truth Social - Mentioned as the platform where President Trump posted about the Nigeria strikes.
adt.com - Mentioned for information on ADT home security systems.
schwab.com - Mentioned for information on Charles Schwab services.
odoo.com - Mentioned for information on Odoo business solutions.
progressive.com - Mentioned for information on Progressive insurance.
cookunity.com/npr - Mentioned for Cook Unity meal delivery services.

Other Resources

Obamacare plans - Mentioned in the context of failed subsidy extensions impacting health insurance premiums.
Government shutdown - Discussed as an event where Congress ceded power to the president.
Tariffs - Mentioned as a factor that did not significantly disrupt the holiday season.
Black Friday - Mentioned as a day that set a record for online spending.
Cyber Monday - Mentioned as a day that set a spending record.
Adobe Analytics - Mentioned as a tracker of online shopping data.
Mastercard - Mentioned as a tracker of spending online and in stores.
Inflation - Mentioned in relation to spending growth compared to price increases.
New Year - Mentioned as a period for which economists and companies are not overly gloomy.
Job market - Mentioned as a significant factor to watch in the new year.
Midterms - Mentioned as an upcoming event in November that lawmakers are focused on.
Affordability crisis - Mentioned as an issue expected to dominate the campaign trail.
Health insurance premiums - Mentioned as spiking after Congress failed to extend subsidies for Obamacare plans.
The Sunday Story - Mentioned as a segment on the Up First podcast looking at finding purpose later in life.